Ill. company awarded $18.3 million N.J. beach replenishment contract

By Andrew George,
September 27, 2013 at 1:42 PM

Work will begin in December on an $18.3 million beach replenishment project spanning the shore from Asbury Park to Avon-by-the-Sea after U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) announced the awarding of the contract this week to an Illinois company.

Oak Park, Ill.-based Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company will serve as the contractor for the project, which is expected to be completed by May 2014. The project will be overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and receive full federal funding.

In a statement Thursday, Pallone said the project will not only repair the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy to the beaches of Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, Bradley Beach and Avon-by-the-Sea, but also leave them in even better condition than before the storm.

“I’m pleased that the Army Corps is moving forward with this important investment that will help to protect homes and businesses from future flooding as well as repair the destruction caused by Sandy,” Pallone said.

Pallone said over one million cubic yards of sand will be used to replenish the beaches in question. The contract is the last of four awarded to cover the stretch between Sea Bright and Manasquan. The entire project is expected to be completed by the middle of 2014.

“Our beaches are a fundamental part of life here on the shore, both for residents to enjoy and also to drive tourism,” Pallone said.

Great Lakes is no stranger to Central Jersey’s beaches. It started work in July on a $25 million project in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach and, earlier this month, it secured a $36 million contract for a beach replenishment project in hard-hit Keansburg.

Federal Sandy contracts for New Jersey beach replenishment projects have also gone out to companies from Virginia as well as Cranford-based Weeks Marine.

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Andrew George

Andrew George covers the Statehouse from NJBIZ's Trenton bureau. Born and raised in N.J., Andrew has also spent time as a reporter in D.C., Texas and Pa. His email is andrewg@njbiz.com and he is @AndrGeorge on Twitter.